Information technology jobs make up more than 25 percent of the best 100 jobs in America, according to new data by Money magazine and Payscale.com.
The 2010 Best Jobs in America list shows that 26 of the top 100 careers in the nation are in information technology or security. Software architect took the spot as the No. 1 job in America, while 14 other IT careers, including database administrator, information systems security engineer, software engineer, IT manager, and telecommunications network engineer, claimed spots in the top 40.
The ratings are based on data from PayScale.com, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Money magazine research. Jobs were rated based on salaries and growth prospects.
Software engineers were among the most highly paid workers, ranking ninth with a median annual salary of $144,000. Software architects ranked No. 14 on pay, with a median annual salary of $119,000, and computer and information scientists ranked 18th, with a median salary of $115,000. On job growth, telecommunications network engineers ranked second, while software architects ranked fourth.
Where does your career fit in with the top 100 jobs? Is your government pay scale comparable?
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Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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